High School Sports

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High coach Roland Hedgpeth is a member on the Central Coast Section boys’ soccer committee board.   On Thursday, the board got together—like they do each year—to discuss division placements, seedings and first round opponents for the upcoming postseason. The Wildcatz earned the No. 2 seed...

Aptos High senior Nate Garcia recorded three touchdowns to help lift the Mariners past Palma in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division action Oct. 11. The Mariners earned their first win in league play, while the Chieftains—the defending State Division 4A champion—dropped to 0-3 this...

WATSONVILLE—St. Francis High baseball coach Ken Nakagawa knew going into this season they were not expected to win the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Mission Division over teams such as Alisal, Monte Vista Christian and Soledad. But this particular group, especially the senior class, had already...

WATSONVILLE—The Monte Vista Christian girls’ soccer team took a big hit on the roster sheet after losing seven starters due to either graduation, students moving out of state or attending a different school.  That’s why it was a relief for first-year Mustangs coach John Martin...

APTOS—The mission couldn’t have been any clearer for Aptos senior Caden Prichard who was set to battle Salinas for just the second time in his career. The ace running back helped lift the Mariners past the Cowboys, 44-41, in a thriller that went down to...

Aptos sophomore kicker River Cook booted a 38-yard walk-off field goal for the Mariners in a 23-22 win over Alvarez High on Thursday night. “It was a 38-yarder, and he kicked it about 38 and a 1/2 yards,” Aptos head coach Zach Hewett said. “Our...

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of April 15-21.    Preps of the Week Boys: Watsonville High junior Nate Aguilar won three events for the Wildcatz boys’ track and field team in a 69-64 win...

WATSONVILLE—Absolute domination was how Monte Vista Christian performed in its season opener against Del Mar with a 27-0 victory. Since then, they haven’t skipped a beat. Mustangs second-year manager Johnny Ramirez said it set the stage for them this season.  “I wanted that game to see where...

After weeks of deliberation, Watsonville senior Brianna Leon officially decided Tuesday evening on where she would like to continue her flag football career. The Wildcatz’s standout two-sport athlete signed her National Letter of Intent to play on the inaugural women’s flag football team at La...

WATSONVILLE—There was a time when winning a Central Coast Section championship was just a fairy tale story for softball programs in Santa Cruz County. Watsonville High softball coach Scott Wilson broke the wicked curse of heartbreaking losses by delivering the county’s first-ever section title in...